Glass sheet instead of tile

12 years ago

Hi there. Does anyone know if I can adhere sheets of glass to the wall instead of using tile?

I was thinking that it would be nice to paint the back of a sheet of glass with a pattern or a flat color and then just stick it to the wall, like tile. I'd like to do this in the bathrooms. Would this work?

I was thinking that it would be cheaper than tile. I could paint whatever i wanted on the back. AND there would be almost no grout lines.

My sister-in-law is using floor to ceiling height Corian slab but it's too expensive for us.

What do you guys think?

-- Anca

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Comments (9)

davidro1
12 years ago
in the kitchen forum you will read of people doing this for kitchen backsplashes. Mindstorm is one who has this.

Tempered glass in a kitchen.
happyanca
Original Author
12 years ago
Hi Davidrol. I tried to find the link but haven't managed yet. I will keep looking.

However, I thought that solid sheets of glass used in the kitchen are not glued on usually. It was my impression that they were held in place via metal attachments somehow rather than attached with thinset or epoxy, which is what I would need for a bathroom shower.
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The reason why tempered glass cannot be cut or drilled is because of the surface tension holding the glass (glass is a super cooled liquid and not a solid). Consequently, the glass is harder than normal and will shatter when the surface is damaged. Glass panel walls are hence extremely expensive as all the holes/ cuts must be exact. Installation is also tricky as the panel must not shatter from an accidental scratch. Local glass shops in the bay area, CA also charge in the vicinity of $50 to $100+ per sq ft. Labour charges take the lion's share of the cost. The alternatives are large format tile, fibre reinforced panels like swanstone, quartz/ stone. The swanstone panel option is probably the cheapest and will last longer than fiberglass shower surrounds.
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In my hall bath, we have a deep 48" long tub that we also use as a shower. We have no door or curtain. We have a rain head that comes down directly from the ceiling. There is a small step in front of the tub. Some water sprays on to the step but that's it. We love the set up. The bathroom is open and there is no glass to clean. Everyone told me I was crazy and that it wouldn't t work but I knew it would. The trick is having a rain head coming straight down and a deep tub (your knee wall is the functional equivalent, and in fact is even higher). If you google pics of my new bathrooms you can see a photo of the tub.
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I very seriously considered this. Its what I really wanted. From the known backsplash purveyors...way too expensive and I was not terribly cost sensitive. From the local glass guy who would transport it to our painter who would paint with Glasspaint (that I purchased) and then transport it to us...way too expensive (and did I mention that I wasn't that cost sensitive?). Also, the risk of a problem -- now or in the future -- entirely my problem regardless of where I bought it. Then there is the problem of needing to make sure your walls are very plumb. Since I wasn't moving walls and they are not, that was a problem. And...let's see, what else...did I mention that it was WAY too expensive. Every cut they need to make for an outlet or light switch was a fortune. In the end I think I was going to pay $10,000 for a backsplash totally at risk if there were any problems. And I have a tiny, tiny kitchen. I concluded that the only way to do it at a reasonable cost was DIY. I am just too busy, too untalented and too lazy. I finally gave up. But I do love the look....
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I bought pressed board shelves at Wally world for another reason and they turned into my glass storage area. For now I only have one sheet of glass and it does fit perfectly in the units. I do have one pair of them on their sides and the other pair is up and down as they were meant to be. In the shelf ones I store my scrap glass, which I do have the most of in the smaller size kitty litter pans sorted to color. Got the little pans at the dollar store and they are WAY too small for a kitty to use and they fit perfectly on the shelves. Two will sit inside each other on one shelf if not too full. I have 10 of them. If there is too much of one color I do store the excess in my studio leaving a note in my litter pan reminding me there is spare glass in the studio. I also use the video boxes for dish tiles and tape one on the end so I know what is in the box and they stack in an old jelly cabinet I have had for years. I use those snack trays when I am working on a project that have five compartments and they work great. Chris
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worthy
12 years ago
This commercial glass backsplash fabricator uses silicone adhesive.
happyanca
Original Author
12 years ago
Thanks! I emailed them, so let's see... -- Anca
User
12 years ago
It would also need to be tempered glass in a bath for safety reasons. Which needs a pro to fabricate and install. I don't think it really would be all that inexpensive. Shower surrounds, which also have to be constructed out of safety glass, run 2-3K, and you're talking doing all the walls which is even more material. I think it'd be a heck of a lot more than glass tiles which you can get for as little as $4 a square foot. Try around 6K plus. Corian would seem like a bargain next to that.
davidro1
12 years ago
Wall-installed (installed with any adhesive in any way) does not need to be tempered glass, (not by law or by code).
= This is FYI, not anything more than FYI, not a recommendation to do something or not. It explains why glass tiles can be bought and sold. They make glass tiles very large now.

If you want to go buy a big piece of cheap glass and "glue" it, go ahead and let us know how it goes and what it looks like. With or without art under the glass. Make sure the art will still look good when moldy. That kind of art.
sierraeast
12 years ago
d-1 makes a great point. Whatever is used behind it is going to have to keep moisture from building up behind it or as stated...moldy art!
happyanca
Original Author
12 years ago
Haahaa. Moldy art. I can come up with something, I'm sure. :)

Yeah, that's why I thought epoxy or thinset. it has to cover the WHOLE surface of the glass, just like you'd do with tile, otherwise I'll be showering in some kinda petri dish,
davidro1
12 years ago
If you build it as you would build a window, it won't get moldy on the other side. If you seal it onto a wall, it will get moldy on the "dry" side. A window can have art in it. It can be frosted glass.

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Glass sheet instead of tile

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Glass sheet instead of tile

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